US 4,837,798 · Granted 1989-06-06

AT&T's 1989 Patent for the Universal Inbox That Started It All

Imagine if all your messages—emails, voicemails, faxes, texts—showed up in one inbox instead of scattered everywhere. This patent describes exactly that: a unified mailbox that lets you receive, send, and organize every type of message from a single spot, even converting between formats automatically.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a communication system where different message types (voice, text, fax, data) all funnel into one centralized mailbox accessible from a user's computer, PBX, or other device. What's protected here is the infrastructure and method for receiving mixed-media messages in a unified interface, allowing users to view, originate, and manipulate all message types from one controllable point of contact, with the ability to translate messages between different formats.

Why it matters

Filed in 1986 and granted in 1989, this patent captures an early conceptual lock on the idea of unified messaging—a problem AT&T was actively trying to solve as workplaces exploded with fragmented communication channels. While the specific technology evolved dramatically over the following decades, this patent staked AT&T's claim to one of the foundational ideas behind modern communication platforms that blend email, chat, voice, and video into single interfaces.

Real-world use

Every time you check your phone and see voicemails, texts, and emails all in one message center, you're using a concept this patent laid down decades earlier.

Original USPTO abstract

Unified messaging is a concept that provides for a single electronic mailbox for different types of messages. The mailbox can be on a user's host computer, PBX, PC, etc., and the user has consistant facilities available to originate, receive and manipulate messages. Messages can be translated from one media to another for reception, and a single message may be composed of parts that use different native media. The message recipient has a single controllable point of contact where all messages can be scanned and/or viewed.

Patent details

Publication number: US 4,837,798
Filing date: 1986-06-02
Grant date: 1989-06-06
Assignee: American Telephone And Telegraph Company / At&T Information Systems Inc.
Inventor(s): COHEN; ROBERTA S., HUBER; KENNETH M., MILLS; DEBORAH J., DRAPAL; MYRON E., OSTERWEIL; JANIS R.
CPC class: H04L51/066

View original record on Google Patents →

Want to file your own patent?

If you're sketching a consumer electronics product that combines multiple communication channels, search the USPTO database to see how your idea sits against early patents like this one.

Free patentability scan